4。The-new-load-is-all-light-ee。
5。Thebay-lum-tlee-is-flesh-and-plitty。
Finally，whensheattemptedtointroducethesentence，\'Aroundtheroughandruggedrocktheraggedrascalran，\'HopYetrosehurriedly，remarking，\'Alllightee；Igonomoreschooljus\'now。Ilungetlunchee。\'
Bellcamerunningdownthepathjustthen，andlinkingherarminPolly\'ssaid，\'Papahasthenicestplan。YouknowtheboysaresodisappointedthatColonelJacksondidn\'taskthemovertothatrodeoathiscattleranch——thoughasummerrodeoisonlytosortoutfatcattletosell，anditisnotveryexciting；butpapapromisedtotellthemallabouttheold-fashionedkindsomenight，andhehasjustrememberedthatto-morrowisAdmissionDay，September9，soheproposesarealcelebrationroundthecamp-firetoamuseElsie。Shedoesn\'tknowanythingaboutCaliforniaevenasitisnow，andnoneofusknowwhatitwasintheolddays。Don\'tyouthinkitwillbefun?\'
\'Perfectlysplendid!\'
\'Andpapawantsuseachtocontributesomething。\'
\'Apicnic!——butIdon\'tknowanything。\'
\'That\'sjustwhatI\'mcomingto。Ihavesuchabrightidea。Hesaidthatwemightlookinanyofhisbooks，butGeoffandJackareatthemalready，andI\'dlikeasurprise。NowJuanCapistrano，anoldvaqueroofColonelJackson\'s，isoverhere。Heisawonderfulrider；
papasaysthathecouldrideonacomet，ifhecouldgetachancetomount。Itwashewhotoldtheboysthattherodeowasover。NowI
proposethatwegoandinterviewPanchoandJuan，andgetthemtotellussomeoldCaliforniastories。Theyarebothasstupidastheycanbe，buttheymusthavehadsomeadventures，Isuppose，somewhere，sometime。I\'lltranslateandwritethethingsdown，formypart，andyouandMargerycantellthem。\'
\'Lovely!Oh，ifwecanonlygetanexcitinggrizzlystory，sothatEveryone\'sblooduponenditwillstand，Andthehairruncoldintheirveins!
AndwasDr。PauloutherewhenCaliforniawasadmittedintotheUnion——1850，wasn\'tit?\'
\'Ofcourse；why，mychild，hewasoneofthedelegatescalledbyGeneralRiley，themilitarygovernor，tomeetinconventionatMontereyandmakeaStateconstitution。ThatwasSeptember，too——thefirstdayofSeptember1849。HewentbacktotheEastsometimeafterwards，andstayedtenorfifteenyears；buthewasarealpioneerand\"forty-niner\"allthesame。
Thenextnight，September9th，wassocoolthatthecamp-firewasmorethanordinarilydelightful；accordinglytheypiledonmorewoodthanusual，andpreparedforagrandblaze。Itwasalwaysbuiltdirectlyinfrontofthesitting-roomtent，sothatMrs。HowardandMrs。Winshipcouldsitthereiftheyliked；buttheyoungpeoplepreferredtolielazilyontheircushionsandsaddlesundertheoak-
tree，alittledistancefromtheblaze。Theclear，redfirelightdancedandflickered，andthesparksroseintothesombredarknessfantastically，whiletheruddyglowmadethegreatoakanenchantedpalace，intowhosehollowdometheynevertiredofgazing。Whenthelightstreamedhighest，thebronzegreenofthefoliagewasturnedintocrimson，and，asitdiednowandthen，thestarswinkedbrightlythroughthethousandtinywindowsformedbytheinterlacingbranches。
\'Well，\'saidthedoctor，bringinghisChineselounging-chairintothecircle，andlightinghispipesoastobethoroughlyhappyandcomfortable，\'willyoubanishdistinctionsofageandallowmetositamongyouthisevening?\'
\'Certainly，\'Margerysaid；\'that\'stheverypointofthecelebration。
ThisisAdmissionDay，youknow，andwhyshouldn\'tweadmityou?\'
\'True；andhavingputmyselfintoaholidayhumourbydiningoffPancho\'sdishofguisado(Isupposeto-nightofallnightswemustcallbeefandonionstewbyitslocalname)，Iwillproceedtobusiness，andwewilltalkaboutCalifornia。Bytheway，Ishallonlyconducttheexercises，forIfeelratherembarrassedbythefactthatI\'veneverkilled，orbeenkilledby，abear，neverbeenbittenbyatarantula，poisonedbyarattlesnake，assaultedbyastage-
robber，noranythingofthatsort。Youhaveallreadmystoryofcrossingtheplains。Ievendidthatinacomparativelyeasyandunheroicfashion。Ionlywish，mydeargirlsandboys，thatwehadwithussomeoneofthebraveandenergeticmenandwomenwhomadethatterriblejourneyattheriskoftheirlives。ThehistoryoftheCaliforniaCrusaders，thethirtythousandormoreemigrantswhocrossedtheplainsin\'48，morethanequalsthegreatmilitaryexpeditionsoftheMiddleAges，inmagnitude，peril，andadventure。
SomewentbywayofSantaFeandalongthehillsoftheGila；others，startingfromRedRiver，traversedtheGreatStakeDesertandwentfromElPasodelNortetoSonora；otherswentthroughMexico，and，afterspendingoverahundreddaysatsea，ranintoSanDiegoandgaveuptheirvessels；otherslandedexhaustedwiththeirsevenmonths\'passageroundtheHorn；andsomereachedthespotonfootafterwalkingthewholelengthoftheCaliforniapeninsula。\'
\'Whatprivationstheymusthavesuffered!\'saidMrs。Howard。\'I
neverquiterealisedit。\'
\'Why，theamountofsufferingthatwasenduredinthosemountainpassesanddesertscanneverbetoldinwords。ThosewhowentbytheGreatDesertwestoftheColoradofoundastretchofburningsaltplains，ofshiftinghillsofsand，withbonesofanimalsandmenscatteredalongthetrails；ofterribleandghastlyodoursrisinginthehotairfromthebodiesofhundredsofmules，andhumancreaturestoo，thatlayhalf-buriedintheglaringwhitesand。Aterriblejourneyindeed；butifanyStateintheUnioncouldbefairenough，fertileenough，andrichenoughtorepaysuchalavishexpenditureofenergyandsuffering，Californiacertainlywasandistheone。Nowwhocantellussomethingofthename\"California\"?You，Geoffrey?\'
\'Geoffreyhascrammed!\'exclaimedBell，maliciously。\'Ibelievehe\'sbeenreadingupalldayandtoldpapawhatquestiontoaskhim!\'
\'I\'llpassitontoyouifyoulike，\'laughedGeoffrey。
\'No——you\'dnevergetanotherthatyoucouldanswer!Goon!\'
\'In1534，oneHernandodeGrijalvawassentbyHernandoCorteztodiscoversomethingorother，anditwasprobablyhewhothensawthepeninsulaofCalifornia；butaquarterofacenturybeforethisaromancecalledEsplandianhadappearedinSpain，narratingtheadventuresofanAmazonianqueenwhobroughtalliesfrom\"therighthandoftheIndies\"toassisttheinfidelsintheirattackuponConstantinople——bythewayIforgottosaythatshewasapagan。
ThisqueenoftheAmazonswascalledCalafia，andherkingdom，richingoldandpreciousstones，wasnamedCalifornia。Thewriteroftheromancederivedthisname，perhaps，fromCalif，asuccessorofMohammed。Hesays:\"KnowthatontherighthandoftheIndiesthereisanislandnamedCalifornia，veryclosetotheTerrestialParadise，anditwaspeopledbyblackwomenwithoutanymanamongthem，fortheylivedinthefashionoftheAmazonia。Theywereofstrongandhardybodies，ofardentcourage，andofgreatforce。Theirislandwasthestrongestinalltheworld，withitssteepcliffsandrockyshore。Theirarmswereallofgold，andsowastheharnessofthewildbeastswhichtheytamedandrode。Forinthewholeislandtherewasnometalbutgold。Theylivedincaveswroughtoutoftherockswithmuchlabour，andtheyhadmanyshipswithwhichtheysailedouttoothercountriestoobtainbooty。\"CortezandGrijalvabelievedthattheywerenearthecoastofAsia，fortheyhadnoconceptionofthesizeoftheworldnorofthevastnessofthePacificOcean；andasthenewly-discoveredlandcorrespondedwiththecountrydescribedintheromance，theynamedthepeninsulaCalifornia。\'
\'Mybook，\'saidPhilip，\'declaredthatthederivationofthenamewasveryuncertain，andthatitwasfirstbestowedononeofthecoastbaysbyBernalDiaz。\'
\'Now，Philip!\'exclaimedMargery，\'doyousupposewearegoingtobelievethat，afterGeoff\'slovelystory?\'
\'Certainlynot；IonlythoughtI\'dpermityoutohearbothsides。I
knewofcoursethatyouwouldbelievetheprettierstoryofthetwo——
girlsalwaysdo!\'
\'Thatisn\'ta\"prettystory\"——yourremark，Imean，sowewon\'tbelieveit；willwe，girls?\'askedBell。
\'Now，Polly，youreyessparkleasifyoucouldn\'twaitanotherminute；yourturnnext，\'saidDr。Winship。
\'IamonlyafraidthatIcan\'tremembermycontribution，whichisreallyBell\'sandstillmorereallyPancho\'s，forhetoldittous，andBelltranslateditandmadeitintoastory。Wecallit\"Valerio；or，TheMysteriousMountainCave。\"\'
\'Beginswell!\'exclaimedJack。
\'Now，Jack，youmustbenice。RememberthisisBell\'sstory，andsheislettingmetellitsothatIcanbearmyshareintheentertainment。\'
\'Panchobelieveseverywordofit，\'addedBell，\'andsaysthathisfathertoldittohim；butasIhadtochangeitfrombadSpanishintogoodEnglish，Idon\'tknowwhetherI\'vecaughttheideaexactly。\'
\'Oh，itwilldoquitenicely，I\'venodoubt，\'saidJack，encouragingly。\'We\'veoftenheardyoudogoodEnglishintobadSpanish，andturnandturnaboutisonlyfairplay。Don\'tmindme，Polly；Iwillbegentle!\'
\'Jack，ifyoudon\'tbehaveyourselfI\'llsendyoutobed，\'saidElsie；andheduckedhisheadobedientlyintoherlap，asPolly，withherhandsclaspingherknees，andwiththefirelightdancingoverherbrightface，leanedforwardandtoldtheLegendofVALERIO；OR，THEMYSTERIOUSMOUNTAINCAVE。
\'Alongtimeago，beforethesettlementofSantaBarbarabythewhites，theMissionpadreshadagreatmanyIndiansundertheircontrol，whowereknownaspeons，orserfs。Theyweregivenenoughtoeat，werenotmolestedbytheoutsideIndians，andwereentirelypeaceable。ThereweresofewmountainpassesbywhichtoenterSantaBarbarathattheywereeasilyheld，andofcoursethepadreswereanxioustokeeptheirIndiansfromrunningaway，lesttheyshouldshowthewildertribesthewaytogetinandcommitdepredations。
ThesepeaceableIndianspaidtributetointermediarytribestoholdthepassesanddotheirfighting。ThoseabouttheMissiongavecornandcerealsandhidesandtheproductsofthesea，andgotinexchangepinones(pinenuts)。OneoftheseIndians，namedValerio，wasastrong，brave，handsomeyouth，whosehaughtyspiritrevoltedathisservitude，and，afterseekinganopportunityformanyweekshefinallyescapedtotheSantaYnezmountains，wherehefoundacaveinwhichhehidhimself，drawinghimselfupbyaropeandtakingitinafterhim。TheIndianshadunlimitedbeliefinValerio\'smysteriousandwonderfulpowers。Panchosaysthathecouldmakehimselfinvisibleatwill，thatlocksandkeyswerepowerlessagainsthim；
andthatnoonecouldhinderhistakingmoney，horses，orfood。Allsortsofthingsdisappearedmysteriouslybydayandbynight，andtherobberieswereoneandalllaidtothedoorofValerio。ButafterawhileValeriogrewlonelyinhismountainretreat。Helongedforhumancompanionship，andatlength，becomingdesperate，hedescendedontheMissionsettlementandkidnappedayoungIndianboynamedChito，tookhimtohiscave，andadmittedhimintohiswildandlawlesslife。ButChitowasnotcontented。Helikedhomeandcomfortableslaverybetterthanthenew，strangelife；soheseizedthefirstopportunity，andbeingabright，daringlittlelad，andfleetoffoot，heescapedandmadehiswaytotheMission。ArrivingtherehetoldwonderfulstoriesofValerioandhislife；howhismarvellouswhitemareseemedtofly，ratherthangallop，andleapedfromrocktorocklikeachamois；andhowtheyliveduponwheat-
bread，cheeses，wine，andotherdelicaciesinsteadofthecoarsefareoftheIndians。Hetoldthemthelocationofthecaveanddescribedthewaythither；sotheAlcalde(hewasthemayororjudge，youknow，Elsie)，gotoutthetroopswiththeirmuskets，andthepadresgatheredtheMissionIndianswiththeirbowsandarrows，andtheyallstartedinpursuitoftheoutlaw。Amongthetroopsweretwohechiceros(wizardsormedicine-men)，whosebowedshouldersandgrizzledbeardsshowedthemtobemenofmanyyearsandmuchwisdom。
Whenaskedtogivetheiradvice，theydeclaredthatValeriocouldnotbekilledbyanyordinaryweapons，butthatspecialmeansmustbeusedtobeofanyavailagainsthissupernaturalpowers。
Accordingly，oneofthehechicerosbrokeofftheheadofhisarrow，castacharmoverit，andpredictedthatthiswoulddealthefatalblow。ThepartystartedoutwithChitoasaguide，and，aftermanymilesofwearisometravelupruggedmountainsidesandoversteepandalmostimpassablemountaintrails，theypausedatthebaseofacliff，andsaw，faruptheheight，themouthofValerio\'scave，and，whatwasmore，Valeriohimselfsittinginthedoorwayfastasleep。
Alas!hehadbeendrinkingtooheavilyofhisstolenwine，orhewouldneverhavesoexposedhimselftotheenemy。Theyfiredavolleyathim。Oneshotonlytookeffect，andeventhiswouldnothavebeenpossiblesavethatthespellwasnotuponhimbecauseofhissleep；buttheoneshotwokehimand，halfrising，hestaggeredandfellfromthemouthofthecavetoaledgeofrocksbeneath。Hesprangtohisfeetinasecondandranlikeadeertowardsatreewherehiswhitemarewasfastened。Theyfiredanothervolley，but，thoughtheshotsflewineverydirection，Valeriopassedonunharmed；
butjustashewasdisappearingfromviewthehechiceroraisedhisbowandtheheadlessarrowwhizzedthroughspaceandpiercedhimthroughtheheart。Theyclamberedupthecliffswithshoutsoftriumphandsurroundedhimoneveryside，butpoorValeriohadsurrenderedtoamorepowerfulenemythanthey!Wonderfultorelate，hestillbreathed，thoughthewoundshouldhavebeeninstantlyfatal。
Theyliftedhimfromthegroundandtiedhimonhissnow-whitemare，hislonghairreachingalmosttotheground，hishandsomefaceaspaleasdeath，thebloodtricklingfromhiswound；butthemysteriouspowerthathepossessedseemedtokeephimaliveinspiteofhissuffering。Finallyoneofthehechicerosdecidedthatthespelllayinthebuckskincordthatheworeabouthisthroat——aroughsortofnecklacehungwithbears\'clawsandsnakerattles——andthatheneverwoulddieuntilthemagiccordwascut。This，aftersomeconsultation，wasdone。Valeriodrewhislastbreathasitpartedasunder，andtheyborehisdeadbodyhomeintriumphtotheMission。
\'Butheisnotforgotten。Storiesarestilltoldofhiswonderfuldeeds，andpeoplestillgoinsearchofmoneythatheissupposedtohavehiddeninhiscave。TheMexicanwomenwhotellsuertes，orfortunes，describethelocationofthemoney；but，assoonasanyonereachesthecave，heiswarnedawaybyalittleoldmanwhostandsinthedoorandprotectstheburiedtreasure。AnIndianlad，whowasridingoverthehillsonedaywithhishorseandhisdogs，dismountedtosearchforhismoccasin，whenhesuddenlynoticedthatthedogshadchasedsomethingintoacaveintherocks。Hefollowed，and，peeringintothedarkness，sawtwogleamingeyes。Hethrusthisknifebetweenthem，butstrucktheair；and，thoughhehadbeenstandingdirectlyinfrontoftheopening，sothatnothingcouldhavepassedhim，yetheheardtheclatterofhoofsandthetinkleofspurs，and，turning，sawamysterioushorseman，whosepalefaceandstreaminghairmeltedintothemountainmist，asitfloateddownfromthepurpleSantaYnezpeaksintothelapofthevine-coveredfoot-
hillsbelow。\'
CHAPTERX:MORECAMP-FIRESTORIES
\'Andstilltheywatchedtheflickeringoftheblaze，Andtalkedtogetherofthegoodolddays。\'
\'Brava!\'\'Bravissima!\'\'Splendid，Polly!\'exclaimedtheboys。
\'Bell，you\'reagreatauthor!\'
\'Couldn\'thavedonebettermyself——giveyoumyword!\'criedJack，bowingprofoundlytoBellandPollyinturn，andpresentingthemwithbouquetsoffadedleaveshastilygatheredfromtheground。
\'Pollycoveredherselfwithglory，\'saidthedoctor；\'andIamveryproudofyourpartinit，too，mylittledaughter。IhavesomeknowledgeofPancho\'scapabilitiesasanarrator，andIthinkthe\"StoryofValerio\"owesagooddealtoyou。Now，whocomesnext?
Margery?\'
\'No，please，\'saidMargery，\'forIhaveanotherstory。Takeoneoftheboys，andlet\'shavemorefacts。\'
\'Yes，somethinghistoricandprofound，outoftheencyclopaedia，fromJack，\'saidPolly，saucily。
\'Thanks，MissOliver。Withyouforanaudienceanymanmightbeinspired；but——\'
\'ButnotaBOY?\'
\'Mother，dear，removethatchildfrommysight，orIshallcertainlyshakeher!Phil，goon，justtokeepPollyquiet。\'
\'Verywell。BeingtheoldestCalifornianpresent，I——\'
\'WhataboutDr。Paul?\'askedtheirrepressiblePolly。
\'Hewasn\'tbornhere，\'respondedPhilip，dryly，\'andIwas。\'
\'Ithinkthat\'saquibble，\'interruptedBell。\'Papawasheretwentyyearsbeforeyouwere。\'
\'It\'snotmyfaultthathecamefirst，\'answeredPhilip。\'MargeryandIarenotonlytheoldestCalifornianspresent，buttheonlyones。Isn\'tthatso，sir?\'
\'Quitecorrect。\'
\'Oh，ifyoumeanthatway，Isupposeyouare；butstillpapahelpedframetheConstitution，andwashereonthefirstAdmissionDay，andwasoneoftheVigilantes——andIthinkthatmakeshimmoreofarealCalifornianthanyou。You\'vejust\"grownupwiththecountry。\"\'
\'Blessmysoul!WhatelsecouldIdo?IwouldhavebeengladtoframetheConstitution，admittheState，andserveontheVigilanceCommittee，iftheyhadonlywaitedforme；buttheywentstraightaheadwiththebusiness，andwhenIwasborntherewasnothingtodobutstandroundandcriticisewhattheyhaddone，or，asyouexpressit，\"growupwiththecountry。\"Well，asIwassayingwhenIwasinterrupted——\'
\'Begpardon。\'
\'Don\'tmentionit。UncleDochasaskedmetotellMrs。HowardandElsiehowtheycarriedontherodeostenorfifteenyearsago。OfcourseIwasonlyalittlechap\'——(\'VERYlittle，\'murmuredhissister)——\'butnevertoosmalltostickonahorse，andmyfatherusedoftentotakemealong。Therodeosnowadaysareneitherasgreatoccasions，norasexcitingones，astheyusedtobe；butthisisthewayarodeoismanaged。Whenthespringrainsaremostlyover，andthegrassisfine，——sayinApril——therancheroofacertainranchsendswordtoallhisneighboursthathewillholdarodeoonacertaindayordays。Ofcoursethecattleusedtostrayalloverthecountry，andgetbadlymixed，astherewerenofences；sotherodeowasheldforthepurposeofseparatingthecattleandbrandingthecalvesthathadneverbeenmarked。
\'Theownersofthevariousranchesassemblethenightbefore，bringingtheirvaqueroswiththem。Theystartoutveryearlyinthemorning，havinghadacupofcoffee，andridetothe\"rodeo-ground，\"
whichisanyflat，convenientplacewherecanyonsconverge。Manyofthecattleonthehillsroundaboutknowtheplace，havingbeentherebefore，andthevaquerosstartafterthemanddrivethemtothespot。\'
\'Howmanyvaqueroswouldtherebe?\'askedElsie。
\'Oh，nineorten，perhaps；andoftenfromonethousandtothreethousandcattle——itdependsonthenumberofranchesandcattlerepresented。Someofthevaquerosformacircleroundthecattlethattheyhavedriventotherodeo-ground，andholdthemtherewhileothersgobacktotheranchforbreakfastandfreshhorses。\'
\'Freshhorsessosoon?\'saidMrs。Howard。\'Ithoughtthemustangsweretough，hardylittlebeasts，thatwouldgoalldaywithoutdropping。\'
\'Yes，sotheyare；butyoualwayshavetobeginto\"partout\"thecattlewiththefreshestandbest-trainedhorsesyouhave。Theownersandtheirbestvaquerosnowgointotheimmensebandofcattle，andtrytogetthecowsandtheunbrandedcalvesseparatedfromtherest。Youcanimaginewhatskilfulengineeringthistakes，eventhoughyouneversawit。Twoworktogether；theystartacertaincowandcalfandworkthemthroughthebandofcattleuntiltheyneartheoutside，andthen\"rush\"themtoaplacethreeorfourhundredyardsbeyond，whereothervaquerosarestationedtoreceiveandholdthem。Ofcoursethecattledon\'twanttoleavetheband，andofcoursetheydon\'twanttostayinthespottowhichtheyaredriven。\'
\'Idon\'tblamethem!\'criedBellimpetuously。\'Probablythecowsrememberthetimewhentheywerebrandedthemselves，andtheydon\'twanttheirdearlittlebossiesputthroughthesameoperation。\'
\'Verylikely。Thenmorecowsandcalvesarestartedinthesameway；
thegreatestdifficultybeinghadwiththefirstlot，forthecattlealwaysstaymorecontentedlytogetherasthegroupgrowslarger。
Occasionallyone\"breaks\"andrunsoffonthehills，andavaquerostartsafterhim，throwsthereataandlassoshim，or\"lass\'s\"him，astheCaliforniaboyssay。\'
\'Theremustbefrightfulaccidents，\'saidMrs。Winship。
\'Yes；butnotsomanyasyouwouldsuppose，forthehorsemanship，initsparticularway，issomethingwonderful。Whenanuglysteerislassoedandhefeelsthereataorlariatroundhisneck，hesometimesturnsand\"makes\"forthehorse，andunlessthevaqueroisparticularlyskilfulhewillbegoredandhishorsetoo；buthegivesadexterousturntothelariat，theanimalstepsoverit，getstangledandthrown。Frequentlyananimalbreaksahornoraleg。
Sometimesonefallisnotenough；thesteerjumpsupandpursuesthehorse。Thenthevaquerokeepsalittleaheadofhimandleadshimbacktotherodeo-ground，whereanothervaquerolassoshimbythehindlegsandthrowshim，whilethereataistakenoffhisneck。\'
\'Thereisanotherdanger，too，\'addedDr。Winship。\'Thevaquerowindsthereataverytightlyroundthepommelofhissaddletoholdthesteer，andheislikelytohavehisfingercaughtinthehair-
ropeandcutoff。\'
\'Yes，Iforgotthat。TwoorthreeofthefamousoldvaquerosaboutSantaBarbara——JoseMaria，JoseAntonio，andoldClemente——haveeachlostafinger。Well，thevaquerosatlengthforminacircleroundthebandofselectedcattle。Theranchownerwhogivestherodeotakeshisowncattlethathehasfound——theonesbearinghisbrand，youknow——anddrivestheminwiththeonestobebranded，leavingintherodeo-groundthecattlebearingthebrandsofalltheotherrancheros。Therehasbeenmuchdrinkingofaguardiente(brandy)andeverybodybythistimeisprettyreckless。
Thentheydrivethisselectedbandtothehomecorral，thevaquerosyelling，thecattle\"calling，\"andthereataswhizzingandwhistlingthroughtheair。Ifanyunfortunatetriestoescapehisfateheispursued，\"lass\'d，\"andbroughtback。Bythistimethecattleareprettywellheatedandangry，andwhentheygetintothecrowdedcorraltheyhorneachotherandtrytogorethehorses。Afireisthenbuiltinonecornerofthecorralandthebranding-ironsareheated。\'
\'Oh!holdmyhand，Polly，ifthebrandingisgoingtobegin，Ihateitso，\'exclaimedElsie。
\'Iwon\'tsaymuchaboutit，butit\'snoworsethanathousandthingsthatpeoplehavetobeareveryyearoftheirlives。Animalsneverhavetohaveteethfilled，forinstance，norlimbsamputated——\'
\'Oh，justthinkofacalfwithawoodenleg，oracowwithfalseteeth!Wouldn\'titbefunny?\'laughedBell。
\'Theydon\'thaveathousandillsthathumanfleshisheirto，sotheymustbethankfultheygetoffsoeasy。Well!thebranding-ironsareheated，asIsay——eachcattle-ownerhavinghisspecialbrand，whichisproperlyrecorded，andwhichmaybeanydevicenotpreviouslyused。Twomennowcatchthecalves；onelassoingthembythehead，theotherbythelegs。Athirdmantakestheironfromthefireandbrandsthechosenletterorhieroglyphicontheanimal\'shindquarter。\'
\'Sometimesontheforequarter，don\'tthey?\'askedBell。\'I\'veseenbrandsthere，——yourhorsehastwo，andourcowhasonealso。\'
\'Yes，abrandontheforequartershowsthattheanimalhasbeensold，butitalwayshastheoriginalbrandonthehindquarter。Whenasaleiseffected，thenewbrandisputanywhereinfrontofthefifthrib，andthisconstituteswhattheycallaventa，orsale。Ifyounoticesomeofthelittle\"plugs\"riddenbySantaBarbaraboys，you\'llseethattheybearhalfadozenbrands。Bytheway，iftherodeohasbeenaverylargeone，theyareseveraldaysbrandingthecattle，sotheyareturnedouttopastorearalittlewhileeachday。\'
\'Thebrandwasabsolutesignofownership，youknow，girls，\'saidDr。
Winship；\'andthoughtherewasthegreatestcareexercisedinchoosingandrecordingthebrands，therewasplentyofopportunityforcheating。Forinstance，amanwouldoftenseeunbrandedcattlewhenridingabout，andtherewasnothingtopreventhisdismounting，buildingafire，heatinghisiron，andputtinghisownbrandonthem。
Then，atthenextrodeo，theyweresimplyturnedovertohim，for，asIsay，thebrandwasabsoluteownership。\'
\'Whene\'erItakemyridesabroad，HowmanycalvesIsee；
And，asIbrandthemproperly，Theyallbelongtome，\'
saidBell。
\'HowIshouldliketoseearodeo!\'sighedElsie。\'Ican\'timaginehowthevaqueroscanflingthereatawhiletheyareridingatfullspeed。\'
\'Itisn\'tsoverywonderful，\'saidPolly，nonchalantly\'themostordinarypeoplecanlearnit；why!yourbrotherJackcanlassoalmostaswellasaMexican。\'
\'AndIcan\"lass\"anystationaryobjectmyself，\'criedBell；\'ahitching-post，orevenadoor-knob；Icandoittwoorthreetimesoutoften。\'
\'Thatshowsimmenseskill，\'answeredJack，\'but，asthethingyouwantto\"lass\"neverdoesstaystill，andasitisabsolutelynecessarytocatchitmorethanthreetimesoutoften，youprobablywouldn\'tmakeanameandfortuneasavaquero。JuanCapistrano，bytheway，usedtobefamouswiththelariat。IhadheardofhisadventurewithabullontheislandofSantaRosa，andIaskedhimaboutitto-day；buthehadsoexhaustedhimselftellingstoriestoBellthathehadveryfewwordsforme。Youseetherewasabull，onSantaRosaisland，sowildthattheywantedtokillhim；butnobodycoulddoit，thoughhewasaterrortoanyonewhoventuredontheisland。Theycalledhim\"Antiguelo，\"becauseofhislonghornsandlongtail。Hewassuchaterriblefighterthatallthevaqueroswereafraidtolass\'him，forhealwaysbrokeawaywiththelariat。Youseeahorsethrowsabullbyskillandnotbystrength，ofcourse。
Youcanchokealmostanybull；butthisonewastoosmart!hewouldcrouchonhishaunchesandpullbackuntiltheropenearlychokedhimandthensuddenly\"make\"forthehorse。JuanCapistranohadasplendidhorse——youseeasmuchdependsonthehorseasthemaninsuchacase——andhecameuponAntigueloontheCerroNegroandlass\'dhim。Well，didhefight?Iasked。\"Si，Senor。\"Well，whathappened?\"Yolomate\"(Ikilledhim)，hesaid，withashrugofhisshoulders，andthat\'sallIcouldgetoutofJuanregardinghisadventure。\'
\'Butyouhaven\'tdoneyourshare，youlazyboy，\'objectedBell。\'Youmusttellusmore。\'
\'Whatdoyouwanttohear?IamuponalltheanimalandvegetablelifeofSouthernCalifornia，fullofinterestinginformationconcerningitsoldcustoms，cangiveyouSpanishnamesforallthethingsthatcomeupinordinaryconversation，andamtheonlymanpresentwhocanmakearaw-hidereata，\'saidJack，modestly。
\'Goonandtellushow，Ogreatandwisereatero，\'saidBell。
\'I\'lltellyouthatmyself，\'saidElsie，\'forI\'veseenhimdoitdozensoftimes，whenheshouldhavebeenstudyinghislittlelessons。Hetakesabigpieceofrawhide，cutsacirclerightoutofthemiddle，andthencutsroundandroundthisuntilhehasonelongcontinuousstring，halfaninchwide。Hethenstretchesitandscrapesthehairoffwithaknifeorapieceofglass，getsitintofourstrands，andbraidsit\"round。\"\'
\'Perhapsyouthinkbraiding\"round\"iseasytodo，\'retortedJack，inaninjuredtone；\'butIknowittookmesixmonthstolearntodoitwell。\'
\'Ifailtosee，\'saidhismother，\'howaknowledgeof\"braidinground\"andlassoingofwildcattleisgoingtoserveyouinyouruniversitylifeandfuturecareer。\'
\'Ohyes，itwill。IshallbetheBuffaloBillofHarvard，andI
shallgivecharminglittleentertainmentsinmyrooms，orinsomelittlegarden-plotsuitabletothepurpose。\'
\'Shallyoumakeapointofkeepingupwithyourclass?\'askedMrs。
Winship。
\'Ohyes，unlesstheygotoofast。Mysportswon\'ttakeanymoretimethanrowingorbaseball。They\'llbealittlemoreexpensive，becauseI\'llhavetokeepsomewildcattleconstantlyonhand，andperhapsavaqueroortwo；butavaquerowon\'tcostanymorethanavalet。\'
\'Ididn\'tintendfurnishingyouwithavalet，\'remarkedhismother。
\'ButIshallbeself-supporting，motherdear。Ishallgiveexhibitionsonthecampus，andthegate-moneywillkeepmeinluxury。\'
\'Thisisallveryinteresting，\'saidPolly，cuttingly；\'butwhathasittodowithCalifornia，I\'dliketoknow?\'
\'Poordear!Yourbrainissoweak。Can\'tyouseethatwhenIamthefashioninCambridge，itwillbenoisedaboutthatIgainedmymarvellousskillinCalifornia?Thiswillincreaseemigration。I
don\'tpretendtosayitwillswellthepopulationlikethediscoveryofgoldin\'48，butitwillhaveaperceptibleeffect。\'
\'Youaremoremodestthanawholemossybankofviolets，\'laughedDr。
Paul。\'Now，Margery，willyougiveusyourlegend?\'
\'MineisthestoryofJuandeDios(literally，JuanofGod)，andI\'msorrytosaythatithasahorseinit，likePolly\'s；onlyherswasasnow-whitemare，andmineisacoal-blackcharger。Buttheywouldn\'ttellusanyromanticlove-stories；theywereallabouthorses。\'
STORYOFJUANDEDIOS。
\'Inearlydays，whenAmericanswerecomingintoSantaBarbara，thereweremanycattle-buyersamongthem；andtherewerelargebandsofrobbersalloverthecountrywhowerereadytopounceonthesetravellersontheirwaytothegreatcattleranchos，killthem，andstealtheirmoneyandclothes，aswellastheirhorsesandtrappings。
Noonecouldunderstandhowtherobbersgotsuchaccurateinformationofthemovementsofthetravellers，unlesstheyhadaspysomewhereneartheMission，wheretheyoftenstoppedforrestandrefreshment。
\'Now，therewasacertainyoungIndianvaquerointheemployofthepadresatLaMissiondelaPurisima。Hewasawonderfulhorseman，andgreatlylookeduptobyhisbrothervaqueros，becausehewassostrong，alert，andhandsome，andbecausehewasalwaysdressedelegantlyinricholdSpanishembroideriesandvelvets，giventohim，hesaid，bymenforwhomhehaddonegreatservices。
\'Onedayacertaintraveller，aSpanishofficialofhighdegree，camefromMontereytowedhissweetheart，thedaughteroftherichestcattle-ownerinallthecountryround。Hisspursandbitandbridlewereofsolidsilver；hisjaquima(halter)wasmadeofahairropewhosestrandshadbeendyedinbrilliantcolours；histapaderos(frontofthestirrups)，mochilas(largeleathersaddleflaps)，andsudaderos(thinbitsofleathertoprotectthelegsfromsweat)，wereallbeautifullystampedinthefashionusedbytheMexicans；hissaddleblanketsandhishousingswereallsuperb，andheworeabroadsombreroencircledwithasilversnakeandtrimmedwithsilverlace。
\'ThetravellerstayedatLaPurisimaallnight，andsetoutearlyinthemorningtoridethelastfortymilesthatseparatedhimfromhisbride。ButJuanandtwootherrobberswerelyinginwaitforhimbehindagreatrockthatstoodattheentranceofalonelycanyon。
Theyappearedonhorseback，onebehindtheunfortunatemanandtwoinfront，sothathecouldescapeneitherway。Theyfinallysucceededinlassoingthehorseandthrowinghimtothegroundwithhisrider，whodefendedhimselfbravelywithhisknife，butwasfinallykilledandrobbed，Juantakinghisclothesandtrappings，andtheothertwodividingthecontentsofhispurse。Theycouldnothaveburiedtheirvictimassuccessfullyasusual，orelsetheyweresurprised，andhadtoescape，forthebodywasfound；andJuan，whomthepadreshadbeguntoviewwithsuspicion，wasnowheretobefoundabouttheMission。Troopsweresentoutinpursuitofhim，forthisparticulartravellerwasahighofficial，anditwasnecessarythathisdeathshouldbeavenged。TheyatlastheardthatJuanhadbeenseengoingtowardsSantaYnezMission，and，pursuinghimthither，theycameuponhimashewasdrivingabandofhorsesintoacorral，andjustintheactofcatchinghisownhorse，anobleandpowerfulanimal，calledAzabache，becauseofhisjet-blackcolour。Themensurroundedthecorral，andorderedhimtosurrender。HebeggedthemtowaituntilhehadsaddledAzabache，andthentheymightshootthembothdowntogether。Heaskedpermissiontocallthreetimes(pegartresgritos)，andafterthethirdcalltheyweretoshoot。Hislastwishwasgranted。Hesaddledandmountedhissplendidhorse，calledonce——
twice——thrice，——butwhenthelastshoutfadedintheair，andthetroopsraisedtheirmusketstofire，behold，therewasnoJuandeDiostobeseen。Theyhadbeensurroundingthecorralsothatnoonecouldhaveriddenout；theylookedamongthehorses，butAsabachewasnowheretobefound。
\'Justthenajoyousshoutwasheard，soringingandtriumphantthateverymanturnedinthedirectionfromwhichitcame。There，gallopingupthehillside，nearlyhalfamiledistant，wasJuandeDios，mountedonhiscoal-blackAzabache!Butitwasnocommonsunshinethatdeepenedthegorgeouscoloursofhistrappingsanddanceduponhissilverspurstilltheyglistenedliketwogreatstars!Itwasabroad，glitteringstreamoflightsuchasnomortalhadeverseenbeforeandwhichalmostblindedtheeyes；andoverthisradiantpathofgoldensunbeamsgallopedJuandeDios，untilhedisappearedoverthecrestofthemountain。Thenthelightfaded；
thepadrescrossedthemselvesinsilenceandwenthometotheirMission!andJuandeDiosneverwasheardofmore。\'
ModestlittleMargerywashailedwithsuchcheersthatyoucouldnothaveseenhercheeksfortheblushes；and，justasthepartybegantothinkofforsakingthefascinatingcamp-fireforbed，Belljumpedupimpetuouslyandcried，\'Here，Philip，givemethecastanets，please。
PollyandJack，youplay\"LasPalomas\"forme，andI\'llsingandshowyouthedanceofthatprettyMexicangirlwhomIsawattheballgivenundertheBigGrapeVine。WaittillItakeoffmyhairribbon。
Lendmeyourscarf，mamma。Nowbegin!\'
LASPALOMAS。{2}
(THEDOVES。)
Cua-tropa-lo-mi-tasblan-casquevie-
nendepora——lla。U-nasalaso-trasdi-cennohaya-morcomoeldea-ca。
Itisbarelypossible，butnotlikely，thatanythingprettierthanBell\'sMexicandanzawastobeseenunderthelightoftheSeptemberstarsthatnight；althoughtheyweredoubtlessshiningdownuponathousandlovelythings。Withallthebrightnessofherloosenedhairrisingandfallingwiththemotionofherswayingfigure——withhertwinklingfeet，hercrimsoncheeksandpartedlips，shelookedtheveryspiritofthedance，andherenraptured——audienceonlyallowedhertostopwhenshewasabsolutelybreathless。
\'Ohwhatabeautifulevening!\'exclaimedElsie，whenthecelebrationwasfinallyover。\'Wasthereeversuchadear，dearcanyonwithsuchdearpeopleinit!Ifitonlywouldn\'trainandwecouldlivehereforever!\'
\'Rain，rain，stayaway!
Comeagainanotherday，LittleElsiewantstoplay，\'
recitedPolly，andtheneverybodywenttotheirstrawbeds。
CHAPTERXI:BREAKINGCAMP
\'Thethirstyearthsoaksuptherain，Anddrinksandgapesfordrinkagain；
Theplantssuckintheearthandare，Withconstantdrinking，freshandfair。\'
Butitdidrain；anditdidn\'twaituntiltheywereoutofthecanyoneither。Itbeganlongbeforethepropertime，anditbynomeansconfineditselftoashower，butopenedthewinterseasonfullyamonthbeforetherewasanyneedofit，andbehavedaltogetherinamostheartlessandinconsideratemanner，likeaveryspoil-sportofarain。
Itbeganafterdark，soastobejustasdisagreeableaspossible，andunderthetooslightcoveroftheirtentsthecamperscouldheartherushandtheroarofitlikethetrampingofmyriadfeetontheleaves。PanchoandthetwoChinamenhuddledunderthebroadsycamoresintheirrubberblankets，andweredryandcomfortable；butallthewaterprooftentsleaked，saveElsie\'s。
Butwhenitwasdawn，theSun，havingheardnothingapparentlyofanyprojectedchangeintheweather，roseattheusualtimeinthemostresplendentfashion——brighter，rosier，andmoregloriously，ifyouwillbelieveme，thanhehadrisenthatwholelongsunshinysummer!
Andhereallymusthavefeltpaidforgettingupatsuchanunearthlyhourinthemorning，when，afterhehadclamberedoverthegreymountainpeaks，helookeddownuponLasFloresCanyon，bathedinthelightofhisowngoldenbeams。
IfheknewanythingaboutAncientHistoryandBiblicalGeography——andifhedidn\'tIdon\'tknowwhoshould，inasmuchashehadbeenpresentfromthebeginningoftime——hemusthavethoughtitasfairastheGardenofEden；forNature\'sfacesimplyshonewithcleanliness，likethatofasmilingchildjustfreshfromitsbath，andeveryleafofeverytreeglistenedashebeameduponit，andshookoffitscrystaldropsthathemightturnthemintodiamonds。
\'Itwasonlyashower，\'saidDr。Winship，asheseatedhimselfonadampboardandpartookofamoistbreakfast，\'andwiththissunthetentswillbedrybeforenight；Elsiehascaughtnocold，thedustwillbelaid，andwecanstayanotherweekwithsafety。\'